Episode 253: How Can You 'Yes, And' Transform Your Team's Brainstorming Sessions?
"Yes, and” is a central tenet of improv—and our favorite buzzword. It means to postpone judgement on what someone just said, and then add your own thought to it. For example, “Yes I think what you just said is so important, and I think _________.” It’s the exact opposite of saying, “Yes, but.”
In today’s episode, Erin answers a question from a listener about how to make brainstorming sessions more impactful. She gives you a foolproof exercise you can do with your team right now that incorporate lots of “yes, and.”
If your team’s brainstorming sessions could use a little oomph—this is the episode for you.
If you liked this episode, you can keep the party going with:
Show Links:
Purchase Erin’s book, I See You! A Leader’s Guide to Energizing Your Team through Radical Empathy.
Get our free Book Club timeline and checklist here.
Did today’s episode resonate with you? Please leave us a 5-star review and drop us any Qs you want answered in upcoming episodes.
Boring professional development is out, virtual improv team building is in. Learn more about our offerings here.
Your hunt for the top best virtual keynote speakers stops today. Learn more about our F Words at Work & Empathetic Leader keynotes here.
Connect with Erin Diehl:
Erin’s Instagram
Erin’s LinkedIn
Erin’s website
improve it!’s Instagram
improve it!’s website
Erin Diehl is the founder and Chief “Yes, And” officer of improve it! and host of the improve it! Podcast. She’s a performer, facilitator and professional risk-taker who lives by the mantra, “get comfortable with the uncomfortable.” Through a series of unrelated dares, Erin has created improve it!, a company that uses improv-used talent development to elevate the new generation of work. Her work with clients such as United Airlines, PepsiCo, Groupon, Deloitte, Motorola, Walgreens, and The Obama Foundation earned her the 2014 Chicago RedEye Big Idea Award and has nominated her for the 2015-2019 Chicago Innovations Award.
This graduate from Clemson University is a former experiential marketing and recruiting professional as well as a veteran improviser from the top improvisational training programs in Chicago, including The Second City, i.O. Theater, and The Annoyance Theatre.
When she is not playing pretend or facilitating, she enjoys running and beach dates with her husband and son, and their eight-pound toy poodle, BIGG Diehl.
You can follow the improve it! podcast on Instagram and Facebook, and you can follow Erin personally on Instagram. You can also check out improve it! and how we can help your organization at www.learntoimproveit.com. We can’t wait to connect with you!